The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1887-02-10
Demo cratic Methods.

,arty resort to for the purpose OF electlng
United States Senators and controlling the
Senate after 1888, may we'll putin people
% thinking. 1t is fresh in their minds
low that party attempted to steal Sena-
,or from Illinois. by the grossest frauds in
Chicago in the election for members OF the
Legislature. 1t failed, it is true, and sew
eral of the exposed rascals were sent to the
but it nevertheless was IN
structiye. And the same methods in Gin
cinnati ard Columbus. to control the Leg
islature of Ohio, resulted in similar de-
feat and like consequences. In Indiana
as bold attempts at fraud, and
more successful, have been awaited OF. 10
secure the necessary rs votes to elect a
Senator, Republican returned to the
State Senate by over SOC majority, was de-
MED his seat and Democrat sworn in
The Lieutenant Governor was prevented |
from presiding at the joint session and a
usurping Senator assumed to act in the
premises. In addition to this bribery and
fraud have Leen exposed, as having been
practiced in the election of other men,
bers of the General Assembly, in order to
secure the necessary vote to carry out the
conspiracy againstthe people and the State,
and elect United States Senator in the
hope of controlling that body in 1883. In
New Jersey, where a United States Sena-
tor is to be elected, similar resorts were
made. and exposures are following. On
the 4th, at Camden, some startling evil
dence was presented to the General AS
sembly Election Committee by the Repub-
licans toprove that the ballot box of one
of the townships was opened by the Dem
ocrats and enough votes changed from
Haines, Republican, to Turley, Demo
GRAFT, to insure the election of the latter on
recount. VIM. Chambling, locksmith.
of Philadelphia. was placed on the stand,
and testified rs follows 81 was sent for
to come over to New Jersey to open box.
and went and opened it. 1t was in lats
November. 1t was an awful dark and
stormy night. I crossed by the ferry.
There was one man with me. When we
got across we got in a carriage. l don't
know the man. We drove around the
corner, then another man got in with the
friend who came across the river with me.
We drove up the country good distance.
and stopped when we got to the place
where the box was. 1t was private
dwelling. All three got out. l was. the
last one in. There was no one there
l carried my tools, lock picks. files, screw
drivers. &C., with me. l opened the
box. 1t was that box pointing to the
Centre Township box.) That is the one
operated upon. 1t had three locks. l
picked it open. There were papers in it.
but l dldn t see what they were. Then L
unscrewed the locks and made keys to tit
them. Those keys gave to the men. At
ter | had opened the box and made the
keys, L was paid $40 by one of the men.
Then l entered the carriage and was driv-
en- nearly to the railroad station and l
went home.'' On cross examination by
Mr.. McDermot. counsel for the Demo
Gratis, witness said he had never been ar
rested, and had never opened but one bal
lot before. He thought he was merely do
ing an ordinary piece of work. and had no
idea he was committing crime.
Coming nearer home we find in the Nor
folk papers of last week the evidence ia
ken in contest over municipal officers in
that city last Spring, when the most out
rageous frauds were known to have been
perpetrated, to elect Democratic candi
dates. The witness cited below was a
| Democratic judge of election, and acted
under instructions of the Democratic au-
thorities. The Norfolk Virginiaas reports
the testimony as follows;
George w. Carr was the first witness
called. He was sworn and testified that
he was resident and voter of the city.
and was Il Judge of election in the First
Precinct OF the Fourth Ward at the cleo
tion III May last. Before he would answer
any further questions he asked the Court
if any testimony he might give could be
used against him in any criminal proceed
ings. This question occasioned long ar
guinent between counsel in regard to the
statute on the subject. the court finally
deciding that this testimony could only be
used against him in case he perjured him.
self or where the penalty for any misde
meanor was a fine. The witness was then
asked to state all he knew about the count
ing of ballots and the way in which the
election was carried on in the First Pre-
cnct Of the Fourth Ward. lie said he
saw the ballots counted, and gave the
names of the judges and clerks with the
exception OF one clerk. whose name he
had forgotten. He then said that 100 Re
publican votes were taken out of the box
and so or IS Democratic votes put in, and
in answer to question said that the
votes were laid out in piles on the plat
form in the room. some 100 in pile. and
some so. and one pile with less. and that
one pile containing 100 Republican votes
WAS deliberately burned before they had
been canvassed. He said that Z. X. Rob
erts. enc Of the judges, had SO or IS bal
lots in his pocket. which were placed near
those on the platform, and one of the
J piles of Republican tickets containing 100
were taken by Thomas McGlennan. also
a Judge. and burned and stated that the
voting had been very slow, and he had re-
celved several notes asking him to delay
tie voting as much as possible. and said
he did it by looking for names where he
knew he could not find them and going
over the books two or three times. He al
so stated that to make the books agree
with tie ballot whole page of names had
, been torn out of the books.
And such is reform Democracy. The
cases given above where fraud and bribery
were resorled to for partizan advantage
ought to arouse the thoughtful people of
The country to the danger which threatens
popular government, when such methods
are employed to controlit. To corrupt the
ballot is to strike at the foundation source
of orr institutions and is the first and dan
gerous step to a destruction of the liber-
ties of the people. A party that can
countenance such resorts is unfit to to be
countenanced by the honest voters of the
country, and the ballot ought to empha-
size a protest both effective and punative.
Virginia's Claim.
In the Senate, on the 5th, Mr.. Malone,
from the committee on public buildings
and grounds, reported favorably the bill to